DeLand, FL – A fire near DeLand last night (May 24) on Padrick Street off Shell Road, west of town, shut down SR 44 for a time as fire crews worked to contain it.

Division Chief of Volusia County Fire Rescue Nick Castelli said. “It appears that it was a storage facility for pallets with some adjacent structures that stores boats. Unfortunately it’s a total loss.”

More than 60 firefighters responded to the fire, including Volusia County Firefighters, Deland, Orange City, and Deltona Fire Departments. Investigators said flames were so hot, the fire melted nearby street signs.

There has been no report of any injuries and the cause of the fire is not known at this time.

Daytona Beach, FL – The Daytona Beach Police Department is adding more charges to a man already accused of being a serial rapist. Markeith Martin is charged with Felony Battery and Sexual Battery with Injuries in an incident that took place on September 28, 2018.

The incident report states that the woman involved gave a statement to a DeLand Police officer and an investigator from the State Attorney’s Office on May 3.

The victim said she’s met Martin two days before the incident. They met up on the evening of the crime. The woman said she walked with Martin to a friend’s house. She advised she drank a small amount of alcohol but Martin was drinking heavily. The woman said he got jealous because she was talking to his friend and accused her of flirting.

The victim then went to the bathroom, Martin came in behind her and began choking her from behind, leaving her unable to breath. Martin’s friend came in and began punching him, telling him to leave the victim alone.

The woman said Martin apologized to her, saying they needed to leave. She told investigators that Martin’s friend followed them down the street saying that she shouldn’t go with him, that he would hurt her and kill her.

To add to the confusion, the victim’s text app went off with a message from an ex-boyfriend. This in turn, angered Martin. The woman reported that he said things like, “you’re mine” and “You’re going to be my future wife.” She said she told him that wasn’t going to happen.

Martin than directed the woman to wooded area, where he put a blanket on the ground, then grabbed her from behind and started choking her again. She said she could not breathe and then Martin threw her to the ground, where he choked her with his hands, causing her to “feel like her eyeballs were bulging out of her head.”

Choking and punching continued for some time while Martin laid on her, causing her to lose consciousness. The victim said she came to with Martin sexually assaulting her as she went in and out of consciousness. The woman said she thought that she was dying and said to the defendant repeatedly, “I think I’m gonna die.”

The victim stated she woke up about daylight to see Martin with tears streaming down his face. She said he stated, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you cared for me.” Then he grabbed her hand tightly, walking to a nearby marina.

The victim said they went into the bathroom and Martin tried to clean the blood out of her hair. She said when she saw her face in the mirror, she went into survival mode, making a scene outside the bathroom. No one helped but she got away from Martin and ran to the nearby 7-11. There she runs into Martin’s friend from the night before. He took her to his home to let her shower and clean her clothes.

The victim told investigators that she’s only known Martin for a couple of days and that they had not had sex prior to the night of the incident.

The victim advised she wanted to press charges. Based on the original investigation, a SART kit was not completed.

Martin, of course, remains in the Volusia County Jail.

]]>Suspect Arrested In The Death Of NSB Studenthttps://www.newsdaytonabeach.com/wndb-news/suspect-arrested-in-the-death-of-nsb-student/
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DeLand, FL – The man who DeLand Police say killed and dumped the body of a 16-year-old Sorrento girl in DeLand is under arrest. DPD arrested 40-year-old Robert Kern, Jr. today (May 24), charging him with second degree murder in the death of Justis Garret.

Investigators say Kern was dating Justis mother at the time of her disappearance.

Justis Garrett went missing after being dropped off by her mother at Mount Dora High School on April 13. Investigators say her cell phone was turned off and that there were seemingly no incidents that may have prompted her to run away.

Human remains were found five days later by joggers on Gasline Rd. in DeLand. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed the identity as Justis Garrett.

FDLE says Kern was arrested in Suffolk County, New York and is being extradited to the Volusia County Branch Jail.

Daytona Beach, FL – AAA is offering its Tow to Go service over the Memorial Day weekend to Florida drivers and nationwide. Spokesperson Mark Jenkins said since the service’s inception in 1998, Tow to Go has removed more than 25,000 impaired drivers from roads across the Southeast and Midwest.

Jenkins said that there’s really no excuse to use Tow to Go. It’s free and available to anyone, even if you’re not a AAA member. Jenkins also said, “If you plan to party this weekend, be sure to designate a sober driver before the party starts. If you do not have a safe ride home, call AAA. We’ll provide a safe and confidential ride for both you andd your vehicle.”

There are some guidelines to follow to use the service. The vehicle and the driver will be transported to a safe location within a 10 mile radius. The service is based on the availability of AAA drivers and tow trucks during times of high call volume. The service may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions.

Tow to Go services are available from today through Tuesday, May 28 at 6 a.m. The phone number to call is 855-2-TOW-2-GO.

Tallahassee, FL – Florida has an estimated 400,000 children who need behavioral health services, but 55 percent of them don’t get any treatment, members of a health-care panel were told Thursday.

That translates to 220,000 children across the state, or about one child in every classroom, health official Jeffrey Brosco told members of the Florida Healthy Kids Corp. Board of Directors during a meeting in Orlando.

“There’s 220,000 children that get no treatment, whatsoever. Let that sink in,” Brosco told the board members, who are charged with running the Florida Healthy Kids program, which offers health and dental insurance for children ages 5 through 18.

“If I told you there were 200 kids with cancer who aren’t getting treatment, you’d say, ‘That’s outrageous.’ Two thousand, twenty thousand, you would be up in arms,” he said adding, “It’s outrageous.”

Part of the problem, Brosco said, is a lack of availability of health providers. According to Brosco’s presentation, Florida has one psychiatrist who treats children and adolescents for every 100,000 children.

Brosco is director of Florida’s “Title V” funding program, which supports efforts to improve the health and well-being of mothers and children, including children with special needs, and their families.

Brosco wants to use the Title V program to help build regional collaboratives anchored by schools including Florida State University, Florida International University, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Miami.

Florida has $20 million in Title V money this fiscal year, and Brosco said he wants to target $9 million to help establish the regional collaboratives.

Through the collaboratives, Brosco hopes to help increase the capacity of primary-care providers such as pediatricians, family doctors and advanced registered nurse practitioners to identify and treat what Brosco called common pediatric mental-health conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, anxiety and depression.

Another way to increase access is through telehealth consultation services, Brosco said. Generally, telehealth involves using the internet and other technology to provide health care remotely to patients.

Access to mental-health services has drawn heavy attention in the Legislature since the mass shooting last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people. Attention this year also focused on the suicides of two students who had survived the shooting at the Broward County school.

Lawmakers this month approved a 2019-2020 state budget that includes $75 million for mental-health services at schools, a boost from the $64 million given to school districts for the current year. The money is linked to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act passed after last year’s shooting.

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis also has made mental health one of her priorities and earlier this month announced what she calls the Hope for Healing campaign. The campaign will pull in resources from the state Department of Education, the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Juvenile Justice to help youths and families avert drug addiction and address mental-health issues.

Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Supreme Court has declined to take up an appeal in a Volusia County case that helped lead to the passage of a state law about animal abuse.

Justices, in a 4-1 decision, rejected a request by defendant Travis Archer to rule on a dispute about whether evidence should be blocked from the case. As is common, the Supreme Court did not explain its reasoning. But justices Alan Lawson, Barbara Lagoa, Robert Luck, and Carlos Muniz were in the majority, while Justice Jorge Labarga supported taking up the case. Such decisions are typically made by five of the seven justices.

Archer was arrested in April 2017 after police received a call about possible animal abuse at his home. After first going to the front door of the home and then following Archer to a rear yard, an officer saw a dead dog, a ruling last year by the 5th District Court of Appeal said. Archer was placed in a patrol car, and officers re-entered his home and yard and took pictures of the crime scene and secured the dog’s body.

A circuit judge ruled that officers were not justified in searching the home and yard without a warrant after determining the dog was dead. The judge found that the “exigency” of the situation was over, the appeals court said. The judge suppressed evidence including photographs, police bodycam footage and the dog’s remains.

But a three-judge panel of the appeals court overruled that decision and allowed the evidence, prompting Archer to take the case to the Supreme Court. The case helped lead during the 2018 legislative session to passage of a measure — known as “Ponce’s Law” — that toughened animal-abuse laws.

Ormond Beach, FL – A 37-year-old Ormond Beach, formerly a Jacksonville High School teacher, is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography.

Court documents show that Jordan Schemmel responded to a message on September 5 on an internet bulletin board frequented by those with a sexual interest in children. The message was posted by an undercover FBI agent.

Schemmel sent the agent video depicting an adult male sexually assaulting a young child. FBI agents were able to track Schemmel’s IP address, tracking him to his residence and arresting him.

On October 19, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Schemmel’s home, seizing his smartphone and a thumb drive. A forensics investigation on the items revealed a collection of 106 images and 28 videos depicting young children being abused.

Schemmel faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years but could spend up to 20 years in federal prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Daytona Beach, FL – With the forecast calling for temperatures above 90 and no rain in sight, Volusia County Beach Safety expects to be pretty busy this weekend. Captain Tammy Malphurs said the forecast is also calling for hazardous rip currents. She stresses that the most important thing at the beach is to swim in front of a staffed lifeguard tower.

Malphurs suggests getting to the beach early for easy access and easy parking on the beach. She reminds beachgoers that high tide is expected around mid-day and some access ramps may be closed at that time but says they shouldn’t be closed for long. You can get information on ramp access and other things going on at the beach by following Volusia County Beach Safety on Facebook and Twitter.

Some suggestion from Malphurs if you’re bringing children to the beach, especially young ones. When crossing thebeach traffic lane, always hold their hand just as if you were crossing a street. Also, if you can, set up your belongings, blankets, tents, coolers and such on the water side of the traffic lane to keep kids from having to cross.

At the end of your day at the beach, Malphurs asks that you leave behind only footprints, flatten sand sculptures, fill in holes and take everything with you. If you’ve forgotten trash bags, environmentally trash bags are available by request at toll booths and from the beach litter team.

Since it is turtle nesting season, Malphurs reminds beachgoers that nests are marked and should be stayed away from. Beach driving access hours are from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Turtle nest spotters travel the beach looking for new nests and marking them off before parking is allowed.

Deltona, FL – A 15-year-old Pine Ridge High School student said he did it as a joke but Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies say the note the teen left in a gas station bathroom qualifies as a “Written Threat to Kill or Injure.”

VCSO was contacted yesterday (May 21) by a man who said he found the note at a Kangaroo gas station located on Howland Ave. The note stated, “The Document To Legally Kill All TRAPS.” According to the website Urban dictionary, “TRAPS” is a term used to identify a male who through purposeful deception, dresses as the opposite sex.

The deputy identified the note as a petition of some sort as it was signed by the teen arrested and ten other unknown students names. The deputy located the teen at a local address. The teen was interviewed with his mother and stepfather present.

The teen advised the officer that he had passed it to several other kids at school during school hours. After that statement, the teen was read his Miranda Rights. He continued to say that the note was a joke and not meant to be threatening in any way. The teen also said he had friends who were “TRAPS” and he has no animosity toward them.

The officer was able to locate a couple of the other teens whose names were on the note. He explained the seriousness of the incident and how the note could be portrayed as a threat. No one else was arrested in this case.

Daytona Beach, FL – The man Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested at Daytona Beach International Airport last year after he ran naked through the airport screaming that a bomb was going to go off has entered a plea.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, the now 26-year-old John Thomas Greenwood, has pleaded no contest to false report of a bomb, criminal mischief, resisting an officer without violence, exposure of sexual organs and burglary of an occupied structure

VCSO deputies had to use a taser on Greenwood when they were able to catch him. He reportedly told deputies he’d planted a bomb in one of the bathrooms. The airport was evacuated and searched. No suspicious devices were found.

Sentencing guidelines call for Greenwood to be sentenced to at least 45 months but his public defender plans to argue for a lighter sentence.